tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2540425114268804358.post6586894337515105906..comments2024-02-17T04:09:14.228-05:00Comments on Visions for the GTTA: Transit City measures up to international standard - Toronto StarAndrae Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01208855039214333898noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2540425114268804358.post-31515900713966709542010-01-16T16:55:38.042-05:002010-01-16T16:55:38.042-05:00DGA, you have valid concerns about waiting in the ...DGA, you have valid concerns about waiting in the cold, but remember, it's the future now:<br /><br />There's absolutely NO reason this should not happen: from opening day of the first Transit City line, you should be able to press a button on your cell phone, which will display a GPS map of how far away the next LRT is. You can sit in the local coffee shop while you wait.<br /><br />Heck, a coffee shop catering to TTC riders could be built near every major LRT stop, with seating, and a big screen with service updates and arrival times. Are you listening, Tim Horton???zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02486808945912681657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2540425114268804358.post-69636572638486786242010-01-09T14:54:56.390-05:002010-01-09T14:54:56.390-05:00"They" said the same thing about the 401..."They" said the same thing about the 401 when it routed "so far north, no one will use it."<br /><br />This speaks to my concern that planning is "reactionary" rather than "proactionary." Development builds up around transit. Transit can lead development. Would "the Danforth" be "the Danforth" without the subway under it? The same can be said for Yonge Street (especially the North York City Centre), or Bloor West Village, or the Annex...<br /><br />Conversely, look at the lack of development in Scarborough where the subway runs at a north-east angle rather than directly under a street. A well-planned subway would support development that could reverse the need for urban sprawl to provide affordable housing. In other words, built properly, there WOULD EVENTUALLY be the density requiring the capacity.<br /><br />This would support density within the city, providing the critical mass that keeps transit profitable (ridership would not go down as people could live and move about the city more easily with shops and services, residential and and institutional along these corridors).<br /><br />And yes, anyone living in Toronto must be prepared to deal with winter. We're not going to put a dome over the entire city. However, human nature is what it is, and if our LRTs are not built with some effort to shelter people, it won't be an attractive alternative and people will continue to make cars their first choice.<br /><br />So, to me, the onus of facing the reality of winter should be on the shoulders not only of the commuter on the demand side, but also on the planners on the supply side.DAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09781924305051169635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2540425114268804358.post-77551136815665613772010-01-09T12:59:16.158-05:002010-01-09T12:59:16.158-05:00Yes, the trains do not have the capacity of a subw...Yes, the trains do not have the capacity of a subway train, but studies by the TTC and Metrolinx both indicate that the capacity of a subway is not warranted in the corridors where LRT will be constructed, even after 20 years of development is factored in. Subways are very expensive, almost ten times as expensive as an LRT line, and I believe that the region as a whole will benefit more from a large number of LRT lines than from a small number of subway lines.<br /><br />When it comes to winter, I would support adding heated shelters to these stops. GO uses them at Square One, among other locations, but I haven't had the But we have to recognize that at some point, we're going to have to brave the cold. The LRTs will run every 5 minutes or better, and while this might not be as frequent as the subway, the reliability over the current bus routes will deliver a better quality product at the end of the day.Andrae Griffithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01208855039214333898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2540425114268804358.post-22574488414343733852010-01-09T12:08:37.269-05:002010-01-09T12:08:37.269-05:00I'm continuously frustrated with the hesitance...I'm continuously frustrated with the hesitance to commit to a larger and more comprehensive vision for subway construction, for the simple reason that Toronto is a winter city, and our climate is well-known for damp cold that makes, for example, Calgary cold, much more comfortable to those who've experienced both. (Toronto's humidity works the same in summer, as people of Caribbean origin consider Toronto's summers uncomfortably humid relative to what they experience "back home".)<br /><br />Couple this with the poor service outside the core, and you've got people standing for extended wait times in bitter cold for too few overcrowded vehicles - that's all the motivation anyone needs to vow to do whatever they can to get a car.<br /><br />I have no comment or insight as to the value or problems with the right-of-way concept, from a traffic standpoint. My concern is that the vehicles themselves do not have the capacity of a subway train, nor do the outdoor surface access points provide sufficient shelter from the elements in winter during waits.<br /><br />http://torontomyway.blogspot.comDAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09781924305051169635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2540425114268804358.post-63864245433860584242010-01-07T15:02:04.767-05:002010-01-07T15:02:04.767-05:00My blog is licensed under Creative Commons, so you...My blog is licensed under Creative Commons, so you're free to quote me provided that it's not for commercial purposes, you attribute me, and you're willing to be quoted under those same terms.<br /><br />Where do you blog?Andrae Griffithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01208855039214333898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2540425114268804358.post-60968233832430270672010-01-07T14:42:51.716-05:002010-01-07T14:42:51.716-05:00I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
And ...I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?<br />And you et an account on Twitter?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com